A two-star Michelin restaurant in Seoul's Gangnam district is under investigation for serving dishes topped with ants, violating South Korea's Food Sanitation Act. According to The Korea Times, the restaurant served a sorbet dish topped with ants, a signature offering at the fine dining venue known for its innovative Korean cuisine. The restaurant allegedly imported dried ants from the US and Thailand and used them as a garnish in around 12,000 dishes, generating approximately 120 million won ($87,400) in revenue from April 2021 to January 2025.
While South Korea permits certain insects like locusts, grasshoppers, and mealworms as food, and silkworm pupae (beondegi) is a common street food, ants are not approved as an edible ingredient.
"To use ants as food, businesses must obtain temporary approval for standards and specifications under food safety regulations. We have shared the results of this investigation with the relevant local government and requested administrative action," a ministry official said.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety launched an investigation into a restaurant after discovering social media and blog posts featuring the dish. The ant-topped dish has gained popularity among customers, with many describing it as an "upgraded experience". The restaurant's owner claims they were unaware that ants are not legally recognised as a food ingredient in South Korea.
The restaurant allegedly imported two types of ants from the US and Thailand via express mail between April 2021 and November 2024.
In various parts of the world, insects are valued as a nutritious and sustainable food source. For example, in Thailand, fried insects like crickets, ant eggs, grasshoppers, and termites are popular street foods. Similarly, in Mexico, chapulines (grasshoppers) and escamoles (ant larvae) are commonly used in tacos and sauces.
South Korea first approved insects as a food source in 2015. By 2021, the country's insect-farming industry had generated an estimated 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in sales. Other countries, including the European Union, Singapore, have also approved certain insect species for consumption.
