Radio frequency (RF) processing is an advanced, highly efficient volumetric thermal technology gaining significant interest as an alternative to conventional heating methods in the food industry. By utilizing dielectric heating principles, specifically dipole rotation and ionic depolarization. RF energy rapidly generates uniform heat directly within food matrices. This minimises processing time and protects vital quality attributes such as colour, texture, and bioactive components. This review summarizes about fundamental dielectric principles and recent hardware advancements, emphasizing widespread industrial applications including pest disinfestation, drying, post-baking, thawing, microbial reduction, and enzyme blanching. Furthermore, it addresses persistent industrial bottlenecks like non-uniform heating, elevated setup costs and high-power consumption. Finally, the review outlines future trends, highlighted by the integration of real-time monitoring sensors, and innovative hybrid thermal systems.