A South Korean restaurant caught serving ants to “add acidity” to its dishes may face charges for violating food safety regulations.
The unnamed eatery reportedly garnished several of its menu items with three to five ants each, delivering about 12,000 servings of these dishes from April 2021 to January this year and earning a total of 120 million won (US$87,400) in revenue from them, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
The country’s food and drug safety ministry had referred the restaurant and its owner to prosecutors for potential violations under the Food Sanitation Act, authorities said on Thursday.
An investigation was launched after posts showing the dishes appeared on social media and blogs.
“To use ants as food, businesses must obtain temporary approval for standards and specifications under food safety regulations,” a ministry official said.
“We have shared the results of this investigation with the relevant local government and requested administrative action.”
