“Carbon emission reduction”, “carbon emission peak”, and “carbon neutrality” have become the focus of global climate governance. As an important tool for measuring climate warming, carbon footprint allows for quantification of the carbon footprint of the food life cycle and helps people to propose carbon reduction measures. Beginning with an overview of the current status of research on carbon footprint, this article systematically reviews the carbon footprint analysis model and the food industry chain emission source based on the life cycle assessment theory, makes a visual analysis of the research trends around the world, and discusses the development challenges in the field, policy environment and consumer purchasing behaviors in this field, in order to provide a basis for improving the Chinese food carbon footprint labeling system.