The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- A South Korean court has fined a two-star Michelin restaurant in Seoul and its owner for using ants as a dessert garnish.
- The owner of the restaurant, named Evett, was fined 15 million won, and the company running the restaurant was fined 10 million won for violating the Food Sanitation Act.
- The owner reportedly sprinkled three to five ants on some dishes over about four years, adding up to roughly 49,000 ants, with most imported from America and some from Thailand.
- Ants are not on South Korea's list of 10 approved edible insects, which includes crickets, locusts and certain silkworms.
- The court called the offence not trivial because tests found heavy metals in the ants above permitted limits, and the ruling matters for food safety standards in fine dining.
What to watch next
- Whether the restaurant loses or keeps its Michelin stars after the conviction
- Any appeal by the owner or the company against the fines
- Whether South Korean regulators add ants to the approved list of edible insects
Coverage1
1 report
Indian-language1
All filed from India
Named South Korea · Evett · Seoul · Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
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