Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail and huge fine for using ants in dessert

Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail and huge fine for using ants in dessert A Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, has been serving a sprinkling of ants as an optional topping for sorbets with the insects not approved for eating by law The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant could be jailed after using ants as a dessert topping. Authorities in South Korea are investigating the restaurant in Seoul’s upmarket district of Gangnam, which holds two Michelin stars, following claims it served a sorbet option which included a sprinkling of ants. The restaurant's owner, who has not been named, admitting serving ants as a "small part" of the restaurant's 15-course menu, but claimed they were only used as toppings and that customers could request ant-free versions of the dish. The case came to light after officials from the country's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found pictures and videos of the dishes shared by customers on social media and mentioned in reviews. In South Korea there are only 10 types of insects which are approved for eating and use in food preparation, which include grasshoppers, mealworms and silkworm pupae. It is alleged that the upmarket restaurant had brought in dried ants from the United States and Thailand over the past five years with nearly 50,000 if the insects used in total. The prosecution reportedly believes that the desserts with the ant topping were served around 12,200 times which brought in around £60,647. But this figure was disputed by the restaurant, which claimed that only around 60% of clients who chose to have the desserts actually went for the ant sprinkling and so they made a lot less money from it. Prosecutors are seeking a year-long prison sentence for the owner of the restaurant as well as a 20m won (£10,108) fine for the company that runs the restaurant, Yonhap news agency reported. The defence argued that there were very few dishes on the restaurant’s 15-course menu that included the option of ants, and that restaurants in other countries including the UK and Australia have ants as an ingredient. The chef who had used the ants claimed he did so to give acidity to the desserts, and said the practice was well-known in prevous restaurants where he worked in Europe and the US. He also claimed he did not know it was illegal in South Korea. Under South Korean law, the maximum penalty for the offence is five years in prison and a 50m won fine. The is court expected to give its verdict on the case on September 2.