A famous chef who appeared on Culinary Class Wars is facing controversy after his restaurant allegedly used ants prohibited for consumption in a dessert and sold it, and a prison sentence was sought at trial.
On the 20th, the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 8 (Chief Judge I Se-chang) held a court hearing for the restaurant operating corporation and its representative, located in Gangnam District, Seoul, who were indicted for violating the Food Sanitation Act. On that day, prosecutors sought one year in prison for the representative and a fine of 20 million won for the restaurant corporation.
The restaurant is accused of selling a palate-cleansing sherbet containing about 40,996 ants not approved as food ingredients some 12,200 times from April 2021 to January last year, earning about 120 million won in profits.
Under the current Food Sanitation Act, insects permitted for consumption include grasshoppers and brown cricket larvae, among others. Ants are not included. Moreover, according to health authorities, the ants used at the restaurant were found to contain up to 55 times more heavy metals than common edible insects. Prosecutors viewed the long duration of the offenses and the fact that unauthorized ingredients showed levels far exceeding heavy metal standards as serious.
Moreover, the restaurant, a fine-dining establishment of a chef who gained fame by appearing on the popular Netflix show Culinary Class Wars, added to the shock. After the broadcast, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety launched an investigation, reportedly because reviews spread widely through social media posts.
The restaurant argued that customers were allowed to choose whether ants would be included as a dessert garnish, that customers who declined were given fermented vinegar and edible flowers, and that only about 60% of customers actually received ants, with quantities varying according to preference. The restaurant also appealed for leniency, arguing that it had already earned two Michelin stars before the controversy over ant use and that the incident did not have a decisive impact on sales.
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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