If you were to open my phone gallery or a notes app to a random page, there is a very strong chance you would find something that has to do with food. My friends and I frequently text pictures of recipes we’ve made, interesting items at a restaurant, or dishes we want to try and recreate, and they often include alt text and image descriptions for food items so that I know what is in an image. Having access to alt text for food pictures is even more important when browsing content on social media, because it can provide much-needed context or clarification about what is in an image so that I don’t leave a comment about mashed potatoes on a post that has a picture of a dessert. Here are my tips for how to write alt text and image descriptions for food, both in the context of food posts from home cooks showing off what they have made and in the context of restaurants showing off food items that are available for sale.
WHAT IS ALT TEXT? WHAT IS AN IMAGE DESCRIPTION?
Alternative text (alt text) and image descriptions are text-based descriptions of visual details in an image written primarily for people who are visually impaired (inclusive of blind, low vision, and neurological visual impairment). If an image fails to load on a website, alt text will be displayed in its place, and alt text is also used for search engine optimization and image search tools.
Image descriptions are similar to alt text descriptions that are used by screen readers to recognize images, though there are a few key differences between alt text and image descriptions:
LOCATION
Alt text is typically attached to an image metadata or added in the “alt text” box on social media. Image descriptions may be added to the image caption or in an accompanying text post.
VISIBILITY
Alt text is usually only visible to screen readers, which read the alt text out loud or display it on a braille display. Image descriptions are “exposed” and can be read by anyone. Saving an image does not save its alt text, and neither does copy/pasting an image into a document.
BlueSky, X, and Mastodon are examples of social media platforms that allow users to read alt text whether they have a screen reader or not by selecting the ALT button on an image or gif that has alt text included.
LENGTH OF TEXT
A picture is worth a thousand words, but there may only be room for a thousand characters! Alt text is typically limited to 100-250 characters, though most best practice guides recommend keeping alt text to around 125 characters. Image descriptions can be the same length or even longer, since they are included in the photo caption, in a text post, or text link.
For social media platforms that have larger character limits for alt text, many users will write longer image descriptions in the alt text field, and reprint the same descriptions in the caption of the post. However, this is not completely necessary for platforms that offer exposed alt text that can be viewed without a screen reader.
LEVEL OF DETAIL
Image descriptions tend to go more in-depth about visual details than alt text due to the larger character limit. For example, alt text might tell a user there is a black bean burger with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a multigrain bun, while image descriptions might go into more detail and share that it’s a black bean and quinoa burger patty, paired with butter lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mayo, and a multigrain bun from a specific food brand. The image description provides additional context about the image so that the viewer can better visualize each component, as well as use the information to recreate something on their own.
It’s worth noting that some people will use the same text for both alt text and image descriptions, which is an accepted practice. However, I prefer to include more detailed descriptions as exposed image descriptions so everyone can read them whether they have a screen reader enabled or not.
SHOULD I USE BOTH ALT TEXT AND IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS?
I recommend using both alt text and image descriptions when possible, since image descriptions can also be read in large print or by people who aren’t using screen readers. Some people use the same text for both, while others prefer to write more detail in exposed image descriptions and treat them like image captions, or just write more detailed captions that describe visual details in an image.
When sharing exposed descriptions, I recommend using the label “ID:” or “Image Description:” in front of the text so that it is easier to locate. Some creators choose to enclose the description in parenthesis or brackets, which is also helpful for separating the description from the rest of the caption. Using the label “Alt text:” in a caption is also acceptable and conveys the same message, but the term image description is more appropriate.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- How To Add Alt Text On Social Media
- Options For Writing Extended Image Descriptions On Social Media
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
How to write alt text for food: home cooks and food blogs
When it comes to writing alt text and image descriptions for food, I find it easier to separate guidelines into two categories based on the purpose of the post. For home cooks and food blogs posting food images, the goal of the image is likely to show off a recipe or meal that the audience could reasonably recreate in their own kitchen, not necessarily to market a specific meal or food items for purchase like a restaurant would. Helpful information to include when writing alt text for food can include:
The name of a dish
What’s cooking? It helps to start alt text or image descriptions with the name of a dish, so that the audience can visualize what they are looking at. This can be the recipe name, or it could be the name of the dish in general. Alt text is not the space to give multiple names for a dish or a lesson on where it gets its name, this information should be reserved for a caption that anyone can read.
When it comes to sharing the name of dishes, it’s important to avoid over-describing ingredients or dishes and stick with names; for example, I know what a banana looks like and would be confused if someone described it as a curved yellow fruit in alt text. In most situations, the color of the dish also doesn’t need to be included unless it is part of the dish name or an ingredient such as a green apple, yellow curry paste, or red velvet cake.
Main ingredients/first impression
What are the primary ingredients in the dish? What elements of the food stand out when first looking at the image? For savory dishes, this can be things like the main ingredients or components of a plate like the main dish and sides. For desserts, this can be the main flavors or visual elements like frosting, sprinkles, or other decorative items.
Writing alt text for food is different than writing a recipe, and it isn’t intended to list specific quantities of ingredients, every single item in a recipe, or how long it spent in the oven. It’s also not intended to describe everything that is “wrong” about a photo, such as a squished piece of bread or bad lighting. Rather, use alt text as a way to provide context or clarification about what is in an image so that no one mistakes a photo of banana bread for a piece of meatloaf. Save recipes and long ingredient lists for the photo caption.
Food presentation
Is the food on a plate? In a bowl? On a large tray? This can be helpful for visualizing quantities of food, or for showing off how something is plated. Unless the goal of the image is to show off food styling or beautiful dishes, I don’t recommend writing detailed descriptions about what shape the plate is or the color of a counter, since the focus should be on the food itself.
Describing a plate with multiple items
Posting a Thanksgiving plate or image where lots of different items are visible? Share the name of each item on the plate, going in a clockwise rotation or left to right/top to bottom if describing a table filled with food. It doesn’t matter what is touching on the plate unless that is specifically part of the dish (such as mashed potatoes having gravy on top). The individual components can be described in more detail in an image description, though I recommend just sticking with food names for the alt text— if I was writing short alt text I might use the phrase “mashed potatoes and gravy” instead of “mashed russet potatoes with parsley and brown gravy on top” if I was describing a plate filled with several food items that happened to include mashed potatoes (and the mashed potatoes were not the main focus of the image)
Packaged items in an image
Sometimes when my friends send me a picture of what they made, they’ll include a picture of packaging from one of the ingredients next to the image to let me know what brand an item is or what product to try. If packaged items are placed in the image intentionally, share the name of the product and its brand if relevant. While I might not care about the exact brand of baby carrots my friend bought (just knowing there’s a bag of baby carrots is enough), including the brand or product name would be helpful for knowing what type of bread they used or the label on a can they are holding.
Related links
- Creating Audio Description For Recipe Videos
- Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
- Creating Audio Description For Recipe Videos
- How To Make Refrigerators Accessible For Visual Impairment
- How To Write Alt Text For Amateur Art
How to write alt text for food: restaurants and selling food
The primary goal of restaurants and food service places is to show food items that the audience can buy, not necessarily something they will be recreating in their own kitchen. I actually think it’s easier to write alt text for restaurant food because many menus already have a text-based description of items available, and don’t necessarily have images for every item on a menu. These descriptions are a great place to start when writing alt text and image descriptions for food, and can incorporate the following additional details:
Item name
The item name should be included in the alt text exactly how it is written on the menu to provide consistency and to avoid confusion when it comes to ordering— I ran into an issue at a restaurant once where the alt text of an image was listed as “bean soup” online, and apparently there were three different items on the menu that fit that description and I had no idea which it was.
In addition, there is no need to write that something is an “image of” or “picture of” something, as it is assumed there is a photo of the item being shown. If it is not a photo of a dish and is instead something like a watercolor image, the medium can be specified in that instance.
Main ingredients/first impression
Repeated from the guidance for writing alt text for homemade items— what is the first thing the audience should notice about an item? What else is in it? Again, this isn’t the time to write a recipe or long ingredients list, but it’s helpful to know what is in a particular item so the audience can decide if this is something they would be interested in. For savory dishes, this can be things like the main ingredients or components of a plate like the main dish and sides. For desserts, this can be the main flavors or visual elements like frosting, sprinkles, or other decorative items.
This information should be written as objectively as possible, and adjectives such as “delicious” and “amazing” should be avoided in alt text unless they are part of the ingredient name (e.g. red delicious apple), appear as text written in the image, or dish name. When it comes to describing details of the dish such as if it is gluten free or has specific allergens, I recommend sharing this in the caption of the image so that the information is visible to everyone.
How the food is arranged
What items are on the plate? Again, it can be helpful to share the order in which items appear, such as how ingredients are stacked or how they are arranged. While I don’t need to know that there’s a tomato in the top left corner of the salad plate or exactly seven tomatoes, it’s helpful to know there are cherry tomatoes in a salad or sliced tomatoes on a sandwich.
When it comes to describing how the food is served, the focus of the alt text for food should remain on the food itself— it’s not important for me to know that a sandwich comes on a silver tray. However, if there is something especially unique about how an item is served, such as soup being served inside of a shoe or a color changing bowl, this information can be shared.
Any text in the image
Sometimes I come across pictures of food that include prices or names of a dish, and I recommend including this text verbatim. If the price is not included in an image, it does not need to be added to alt text since someone who could examine an image visually would not have access to this information anyway. Again, since the focus is on the food, there is no need to mention how the font looks or what color it is- just share what the text says.
Complete sentences
Instead of just writing a list of ingredients, I recommend writing alt text and/or image descriptions in complete sentences so that the description resembles a menu and not a grocery list. For example, instead of writing “truffle, fries, mayo,” a better description would be “a plate of shoestring fries served with a side of truffle mayo.” This provides me with more context on what is being served, and can also give me an idea of the portion size— a plate would be smaller than a platter for example.
Related links
- Going To Restaurants With Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Navigating The Dining Hall: College O&M
More resources on how to write alt text and image descriptions for food
- When it comes to photographing food with the intention of creating images that are easier to see for people with low vision, contrast and lighting can go a long way. Learn more in High Contrast and Low Vision
- Is this food picture intended to be a meme or joke? Check out Lemon On A Pear: Accessible Memes For Low Vision and How To Write Alt Text For Memes for more guidance.
- Interested in learning more about creating accessible web pages and social media? Read How To Improve Your Blog Theme For Visually Impaired Users and How To Make Your Instagram Feed Accessible For Visual Impairment
- Want more alt text tips? Browse Alt Text Archives (veroniiiica.com)
Published June 22, 2020. Updated November 2024