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.
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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....
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 23rd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United States has bombed Iran for an 11th consecutive night as the Pentagon says the war’s cost reach $37.5 billion. President Donald Trump threatens a heavy strike on the suspected Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Tehran warns that any attack could trigger a wider regional escalation.
U.S. strikes on Iran entered a 12th consecutive night, while Yemen's Houthis said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, urging President Donald Trump to warn Tehran it would be held responsible for any future Houthi attacks.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have discussed regional developments, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process during talks in Berlin.
India and Myanmar are expanding cooperation on rare earths as New Delhi seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals. The move follows a series of Indian visits to Myanmar and comes amid growing global competition for resources used in clean energy and high-tech industries.
Sweden has eased the permit process for new mines as it seeks to counter its reliance on China. The issue is a source of tension with the indigenous Sami reindeer-herding people, who say expansion of mining will cut off migration routes they have followed for thousands of years.
The European Commission has slapped a $1 billion dollar fine on Google for violating its strict antitrust law, marking the first time the tech giant has faced financial punishment under the bloc's Digital Markets Act.
In el-Obeid, the capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, residents are contending with a month of intense drone attacks, a near-total siege and the spread of a disease that has already killed 120 people elsewhere in the country.
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with a new tariff regime affecting 60 countries and the European Union, replacing temporary import duties that expire on Friday and reviving a cornerstone of President Donald Trump's trade agenda.
Channel Tunnel operator Getlink has warned that the biometric element of the European Union's new digital border security system for car passengers using the tunnel could be delayed because of software issues.
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