Owner of Michelin-Starred Restaurant in South Korea Faces Jail Over Ant-Topped Desserts
Prosecutors say the restaurant made about 12,000 ant-topped sales worth 120 million won over nearly four years.
- Seoul prosecutors requested a one-year prison term for the anonymous owner of a South Korean Michelin-starred restaurant on Monday for violating food safety regulations, also seeking a 20 million won fine from Seoul Western District Court, Newsis reported.
- Authorities launched their probe last year after discovering the eatery served forbidden insects imported from Thailand. Under South Korean law, only 10 insect species are approved for human consumption, including grasshoppers and mealworm larvae.
- The chef garnished sorbet with 'three to five' ants 'to add a sour taste,' generating around 12,000 sales worth 120 million won over four years until January 2025. One evidence photograph showed a can labelled 'Cuisine Black Ants'.
- During the hearing, the defendant apologized, saying "I apologise for this incident, which arose from my failure to fully understand the relevant regulations." Defense lawyers argued customers had consented to the ant-topped confections in advance.
- Judgment from the Seoul Western District Court is expected in early September, concluding proceedings against the restaurant that held two Michelin stars despite the unauthorized insect violations.
51 Articles
51 Articles
Michelin-Starred Chef Faces Jail After Serving Dessert Topped With Ants in South Korea
South Korean prosecutors are seeking a one-year prison term and a company fine against the owner of a two-Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant accused of using unapproved ants in a signature sorbet dish.
In total, the man, likely a top chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul, is said to have used more than 49,000 ants in over 12,000 ice cream dishes.
He is accused of serving banned insects imported from Thailand and the United States; they were ingredients of a sorbet
A South Korean restaurant owner faces a fine and a year in prison because of the unusual, and more importantly, banned, decoration of a dessert, according to the BBC.
The problem, the investigators explain, is that these insects do not appear among the ten species allowed for human consumption
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