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The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea is facing up to a year in jail and a fine of roughly $13,510 after the eatery allegedly served ants atop its sorbets.
The proprietor of the Seoul restaurant, not identified in court documents, acknowledged serving ants, which are not among the insect species approved for human consumption under South Korea’s Food Sanitation Act. The law approves 10 other insect species for human consumption — but not ants, the BBC reported.
The country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety discovered the violation through customers’ social media posts and online reviews mentioning ants, according to reports.
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Grasshoppers, mealworms, silkworm pupae, locusts and two-spotted crickets are among the insects the government has approved as food, based on health and nutrition criteria.
A South Korean restaurant owner is facing jail time for serving ants as a garnish on dessert dishes. (iStock)
Prosecutors allege the ants served at the restaurant contained heavy metal levels up to 55 times the maximum limit allowed for other edible insects. They accuse the restaurant of importing dried ants and using approximately 49,000 of them in dishes since 2021.
Defense attorneys disputed that figure, according to The Chosun Daily.
Ants were offered as an optional garnish for the sorbet, the restaurant owner’s defense argued, and only 60% of diners chose them over other options, including fermented vinegar and edible flowers, the South Korean newspaper reported.
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The court is expected to render a verdict in September.
Globally, the edible insect market is expanding, as Digital previously reported.
Insects are eaten widely around the world, and the global market for insect-based foods is predicted to expand. (iStock)
The market is estimated to grow from $1.73 billion in 2025 to $13.23 billion by 2034, driven by growing interest in sustainable nutrition, resource efficiency and diversified protein sources, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Beetles dominated the insect-based food market in 2025, accounting for 33% market share, Persistence Market Research reported.
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The yellow mealworm and lesser mealworm also topped the list, while crickets and grasshoppers were the fastest-growing insect segments.
A small study by researchers at the University of Beira Interior in Portugal recently found that people exposed to insect-based foods were more curious and receptive to them than expected.
Ants are one of the insects deemed unsuitable for human consumption in South Korea, though several other bugs are allowed to be eaten. (iStock)
It’s “exciting to see that consumers may be open to new abundant sources of nutrition,” Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, told Digital.
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Several insect-based food products are already available to consumers in the U.S. Chirps Chips are tortilla-style chips made with cricket flour, while other companies market cricket protein powders and snack bars.
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Jiminy’s grain-free cookies for dogs are made with crickets and grubs.
