Chef of award-winning restaurant in South Korea faces 1 year in prison for serving ants in dessert

Ants used in a dish in South Korea Yonhap/Reproduction The South Korean Public Ministry requested a one-year prison sentence for the chef and representative of a Seoul restaurant awarded two stars in the Michelin Guide, accused of serving dishes with ants. The information was published by the state agency Yonhap this Wednesday (22). ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp In addition to the prison sentence for the chef, prosecutors asked for a fine of 20 million won (around R$68,000) for the company that manages the restaurant. According to the indictment, the establishment has been importing dehydrated ants from the United States and Thailand since 2021 and, for around four years, used the ingredient as a topping in some dishes on the menu. ? In South Korea, the law allows the consumption of only ten species of insects. Ants are not on that list and, therefore, cannot be used as an ingredient in dishes. The Prosecutor's Office states that the restaurant sold more than 12,200 portions of a dish that included sherbet-type ice cream with ants, generating around 120 million won (approximately R$411,000) in revenue. Researchers estimate that around 49,000 ants were used.