Michelin 2-Star Restaurant Owner Faces Trial Over "Ant Topping Dessert"

Ants Not Included Among Korea's 10 Permitted Edible Insect Species

The head of a renowned restaurant has been brought to trial for using ants that are not classified as edible insects in their cuisine.

U.S.-sourced ant. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

According to legal sources on May 16, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office recently indicted both the restaurant corporation located in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, and its CEO, identified as Mr. A, on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act. This restaurant, which has received two Michelin stars, remains in operation. Mr. A is accused of importing dried ant products from overseas since 2021 and serving them on certain dishes in the restaurant over approximately four years. Under the Food Sanitation Act, ants are not included among the 10 species of insects permitted for consumption in Korea, and therefore cannot be used as food ingredients.

Previously, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety discovered through blog and other online posts that the restaurant was selling a dish where ants were sprinkled on a sherbet (a frozen fruit dessert) combined with Sikhye, to be consumed according to customer preference. The authorities referred the case to prosecutors. It was also reported that the health authorities submitted analysis results to the prosecution showing that the level of heavy metals detected in the ants used in the dessert was up to 55 times higher than that found in other edible insects.

According to online restaurant reviews, there were claims such as "the chef personally collected ants from Jirisan Mountain." However, the prosecution determined that the ingredients were actually two types of dried ant products sourced from the United States and Thailand and imported into Korea via international mail and other methods. Prosecutors found that the restaurant sold dishes containing ants approximately 12,000 times, generating estimated profits of about 120 million won.

During the prosecution's investigation, the restaurant reportedly stated that the chef had previously prepared dishes utilizing the sourness of ants while working in the United States and Europe, and was unaware that it was illegal to do so in Korea.

In Korea, the ten species of insects permitted for consumption are: Chinese oak silkmoth, edible silkworm, grasshopper, mealworm (larvae of the darkling beetle), two-spotted cricket, Japanese rhinoceros beetle larvae, white-spotted flower chafer larvae, larvae of the American superworm, drone pupae, and Korean grasshopper. Among these, the larvae of the American superworm, drone pupae, and Korean grasshopper are only temporarily approved as food ingredients. In such cases, only the applicant who has received approval may use these food sources as specified.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.