Owner of Michelin Restaurant in Seoul Threatened with Prison for Serving Ants

JAKARTA - The owner of a two-star Michelin restaurant in South Korea is facing a prison sentence after admitting to using ants in a dessert. Not just a matter of taste, this case is in the realm of law because ants are prohibited in local food regulations.

The Independent, quoted on Sunday, July 26, reported that prosecutors are seeking a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 pounds sterling against the restaurant owner, who has only been identified as Mr G.

He was accused of violating South Korea's food sanitation law after admitting to serving ants in a small portion of a menu. Ants were used as a topping for sorbet, a frozen dessert usually made from fruit, water, and sugar.

The restaurant is located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The name of the restaurant has not been made public.

According to the Korea Economic Daily quoted by The Independent, Tuan G and his restaurant company are accused of serving imported dried ants from the United States and Thailand for about four years since 2021.

Prosecutors calculated that the restaurant could have served up to 12,200 servings of ant sorbet during the period. The total ants used are estimated at around 49,000, or a little more than four ants per serving.

The defense denied the count. They said the ants were only served to about 60 percent of customers. The rest chose dishes without ants.

"We do not give ants to customers who refuse them," the defense lawyer at the Seoul Western District Court said on Monday as reported by the Korea Economic Daily.

"About 60 percent of customers receive it, but prosecutors calculate on the assumption that all customers receive it. We provide between one to five ants, depending on the customer's choice," he said.

Defense lawyers said ants were offered as an additional option on the sorbet in the 15-course menu. The restaurant was also said to provide fermented vinegar and edible pollen as alternatives.

South Korea allows chefs to use a limited list of 10 types of insects that can be consumed. These include brownbanded cockroaches and grasshoppers. However, ants are not on the list.

The defense argued that ants are also used in restaurants in a number of countries, including the UK.

However, the latest guidelines from the UK Food Standards Agency say only a few types of insects can be marketed as food in the United Kingdom. These include the yellow Chinese caterpillar, house crickets, banded crickets, and black soldier flies.

South Korean health authorities also warned that the ants used by the Seoul restaurant contained heavy metals up to 55 times higher than other insects, according to Chosun. Heavy metals can be harmful if they enter the body in certain amounts.

Tuan G and the restaurant corporation are scheduled to receive their sentences on September 2.

The Michelin Guide gives restaurants up to three stars based on the quality of ingredients, mastery of flavors, cooking techniques, chef's personality, and consistency.

The Independent noted that only about 500 restaurants in the world now have two Michelin stars for excellence.