The picture is part of the product description
Food law treats pictures as claims. In the EU, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 prohibits food information that misleads, and it covers pictorial representations as well as words. In the US, class actions filed from 2022 alleged that several burger chains showed burgers far bigger than those served; one was allowed to proceed, though the court later declined to certify it as a class action, and the publicity arrived long before any ruling. Generated food is prone to exactly this: more filling, taller stacks, glossier sauces, garnishes the kitchen never uses. Brief against the recipe specification and standard portion, and reject any image a customer would not recognise as their order.
Delivery platforms set their own photo rules
Delivery apps are the menu for many restaurants, and each platform publishes photo requirements. Deliveroo's partner guidance states that AI-generated images are not permitted and asks for authentic photos of the food sold, landscape, with no text, watermarks, large logos, hands or faces. Uber Eats asks for photos that accurately represent a single menu item, framed centrally, with no added text or logos and no people other than hands. Ratios and minimum sizes differ by platform. The practical answer is to photograph the real dishes well, then use AI for background clean-up, cropping and resizing only where each platform's rules allow edits.
Allergens and dietary claims in the image
Generated food invents details, and in food the details can be dangerous. Sesame seeds on a bun, a scattering of nuts, a swirl of cream on a vegan dessert or a bread roll beside a gluten-free dish are all allergen or dietary misstatements if the served dish does not include them. Sesame, nuts, milk and cereals containing gluten are among the 14 allergens regulated in the UK and EU. Check every visible ingredient against the recipe and remove garnishes that are not served. Halal, kosher, vegan or organic marks may only appear where the certification is real. The image must never contradict the allergen information customers rely on.
Local menus, calories and versions
Chains run different menus by country, region and sometimes by site, and each version needs matching imagery. Portion norms, local names for dishes, currency and regional items differ, and a picture of a dish that is not sold in that market is a complaint waiting to happen. Calorie display is regulated in places: in England, businesses with 250 or more employees must show calories on menus, including online and delivery menus, and US chains with 20 or more locations must show calories on menus and menu boards. The studio can batch-produce menu board, social and campaign variants from a product feed, with product-lock keeping each photographed dish exact while scenes and formats change.
Updated 25 September 2026