The owner of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korean is facing significant fines and could be sentenced to up to a year in jail after serving ants on top of a sherbet dessert to customers.
The ants weren’t hidden on the dessert to get back at an unruly customer, they were a planned delicacy to enhance the flavor of the dessert, according to the restaurant owner, who hasn’t been named due to South Korean privacy laws. However, South Korea has some strict laws that regulate which insects can go on a diner’s plate. Apparently, these ants are not on the approved list of insects.
It took a while for authorities to be alerted to the issue, as they alleged that the restaurant had probably served about 49,000 ants in 12,200 sherbet dishes since 2021.
The government also took issue with the type of ants that were placed on the sherbet dessert. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, “ants from this restaurant contained heavy metal levels up to 55 times the maximum limit allowed for other edible insects.” Prosecutors are asking the court to impose a 20 million won fine ($13,580) on the restaurant, citing a profit of 120 won ($81,470) over the past four years.
Owner Facing Charges
Interestingly, it is the restaurant owner who has been charged with a crime instead of the chef who prepared the dish and put it on the menu. Lawyers representing the restaurant said the chef used ants to add acidity to the dish, without realizing the recipe he once used in the US and Europe is legally banned in South Korean.
A verdict is expected to be announced in September.
It’s pretty wild that the restaurant served this many people before it came to light that something was amiss. Even if the people were not knowingly misguided about the presence of ants on their dessert, the heavy levels of metal in the ants that were being served is clearly an issue. Hopefully a verdict doesn’t come down too harshly on the restaurant owner, as it seems like there was no intent to deceive or harm. Intent plays a big role in criminal matters here in the US, but they may not hold the same opinions on South Korea. We’ll keep tabs on the case and share any news about a verdict once it is handed down.
Meanwhile, if you need a lawyer here in the states, connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm. We answer our phones 24/7/365. Give us a call today at (952) 224-2277.
