Michelin-starred restaurant owner in South Korea faces jail for serving ants in dessert | South Korea
Prosecutors in South Korea have asked a court to sentence the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant to a year in prison for serving a dessert filled with ants, an insect not approved for consumption under the local food safety law.
The request, made on Monday, also called for a 20 million won (£10,108) fine to be imposed on the company operating the restaurant, according to Yonha news agency. reported.
The restaurant’s owner and the company were accused of violating the country’s food sanitation law. Rather than a routine investigation, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety launched its investigation after finding mentions of ant meals in blog posts and social media.
It has been reported that the restaurant, which has two Michelin stars and is located in Gangnam, the luxury district of Seoul, serves a sherbet dessert sprinkled with ants to customers who want this taste.
Under South Korean law, only 10 insect species are approved for use as food ingredients, including grasshoppers, mealworms and silkworm pupae. Ants are not among them.
Businesses wishing to use an unapproved bug must first obtain provisional approval; this is a process the restaurant does not follow. ministry said. The penalty for violating the law is a maximum of five years in prison or a fine of 50 million won.
Prosecutors allege that the restaurant imported dried ants from the US and Thailand starting in 2021 and served them in meals for about four years, selling the ant-topped dessert about 12,200 times, generating total revenue of around 120 million won (£60,647). Prosecutors estimate that approximately 49,000 ants were used in total.
The restaurant’s defense challenged that figure in court, arguing that only 60% of customers accepted ant sauce when offered, meaning the prosecution’s estimate based on all customers was too high.
They also stated that ants were included in only a small portion of the restaurant’s 15-course menu, and that restaurants in countries such as Denmark, England and Australia used ants as ingredients.
happened It was reported that He told prosecutors that the restaurant’s chef used ants to add acid to dishes while working in the United States and Europe and did not realize it was illegal in South Korea.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 2.
