Home · World · Sep 16 archive
Seoul Restaurant Fined for Ants as Dessert Garnish
Developing
In Short: A two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul has been fined for using ants as a dessert garnish, violating South Korean food safety laws.
A two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul has been fined for using ants as a dessert garnish, violating South Korean food safety laws. The owner of Evett in the Gangnam district was fined 15 million won (£8,144; $10,965), while the company operating the restaurant was fined 10 million won for violating the Food Sanitation Act, local media report.
According to reports, the restaurant had been using ants as a garnish for nearly four years, amounting to approximately 49,000 ants. The ants, which were imported from the US and Thailand, were used to give a sour taste to certain dishes. The owner had argued that they were used in a small part of the restaurant's 15-course menu and that diners were told they could opt for a non-ant alternative topping.
However, the judge at Seoul’s western district court, Lee Se-chang, said the offence was “by no means light,” citing the length of time the dishes had been sold for, the restaurant’s use of them to promote itself, and tests that found heavy metals above permitted levels in the ants. The judge took into account the owner's admission of the charge and the fact that the chief executive had no prior criminal record under the food safety law.
The presence of heavy metals exceeding standards was detected in the ants, according to the judge, adding to the culpability of the case. The restaurant had been unaware that providing ants in food was prohibited in South Korea, as they are used as food elsewhere. Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in the country.
The restaurant's use of ants as a garnish was part of a 15-course menu, and the owner had argued that they were used in a small part of the menu and that diners were told they could opt for a non-ant alternative topping. However, the judge noted that the number of ants served appeared lower than prosecutors had calculated and that the restaurant no longer used ants.
What's still developing
- NFL player Azeez Al-Shaair was fined more than $11,000 for wearing the name of a Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces on his face markings last weekend, a league spokesman said Wednesday.
- An NFL spokesman confirmed to AFP that Al-Shaair was fined $11,941 for the breach.
- Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail for using ants as dessert garnish Body found in search for missing Noah Woods, 3 Trump hits out at US central bank's decision to hike interest rates 'Grief can colour memory': Palace responds after Earl Spencer's claim in Diana book 'Grief can colour memory': Palace responds after Earl Spencer's claim in Diana book How being music's Mr Nice Guy contributed to biggest crisis of Ed Sheeran's career Do you feel guilty when calling in sick at work?
- Ants are eaten and sometimes even valued as a delicacy in several Asian, African and Latin American cultures.
Sources
- BBClink