Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for serving dessert topped with ants
Summary
A South Korean court fined Evett, a popular Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul, and its chief executive for serving a dessert topped with ants, which are not approved for eating under local food safety rules. The court said the ants contained unsafe levels of heavy metals and that the restaurant failed to get official permission to use them.Key Facts
- Evett is a two-Michelin-star restaurant located in Gangnam, Seoul.
- The restaurant and its chief executive were fined 10 million won and 15 million won respectively for using ants in a dessert.
- Ants are not on South Korea’s approved list of edible insects; only 10 insect types are allowed by law.
- The restaurant served ants on a sorbet dessert from April 2021 to January 2025 without permission.
- Tests found heavy metals in the ants above legal limits, raising food safety concerns.
- The restaurant imported dried ants from the US and Thailand.
- The court noted the restaurant admitted to the offense and has stopped using ants.
- The chef Joseph Lidgerwood, who founded Evett, was not charged as the legal responsibility is on the business operator.
- South Korean law imposes up to 5 years in prison or a 50 million won fine for unapproved insect use.
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