The owner of a Michelin two-star restaurant in South Korea is facing a year in prison for serving a dessert topped with black ants.
Prosecutors say a palate-cleansing sorbet topped with three to five black ants was sold more than 12,200 times by the Seoul restaurant, despite the insects not being approved for human consumption in the country.
The restaurant operator is charged with violating South Korea’s Food Sanitation Act by importing dried ants from the U.S. and Thailand and using them as a garnish on a dish over a four-year period, according to newspaper JoogAng Daily.
Prosecutors said the desert was sold more than 12,200 times, generating about 120 million won ($81,000) in revenue. They estimate that around 49,000 ants were served to diners.
During a hearing at Seoul Western District Court on Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking a fine of 20 million won (about $13,500) against the company that operates the restaurant.
South Korean law permits 10 insect species for human consumption, including grasshoppers and mealworm larvae. Ants are not among the approved species.
Food safety officials began an investigation into the restaurant after seeing photos and descriptions of the ant desert on blogs and social media.
Health authorities said the ants contained concentrations of heavy metals significantly higher than those typically found in edible insects approved for human consumption.
The restaurant owner admitted to most of the charges, but disputed the prosecution’s estimate of the number of ants served.
The restaurateur's defence added that the ants represented a small part of a 15-course tasting menu and noted that restaurants in countries including Denmark, Britain, and Australia use ants in fine dining.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on 2 September.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 people have been evacuated and six have died, the country’s search and rescue agency said on Sunday.
China will lead the creation of an open source platform among BRICS members to promote cooperation on large language models, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday (12 September), taking the death toll to 76, while 13 people remained unaccounted for as forensic teams worked to identify the victims.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment