In many places of the world, mealworms and a variety of insects are food.
In South Korea, for example, grasshoppers, mealworms, silkworm pupae, locusts and two-spotted crickets are on the list the government has approved as food, based on health and nutrition criteria.
But ants are not there.
And that means the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant there is facing up to a year in jail and a fine of about $13,000 for allegedly serving them to customers atop his sorbets.
The New York Post said the proprietor was not identified in court documents, but admitted serving the little crawlers after customers’ social media posts and online reviews cited the delicacy.
The action is being brought by the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which has cited the Food Sanitation Act.
Prosecutors explain the ants served at the restaurant “contained heavy metal levels up to 55 times the maximum limit allowed for other edible insects,” the report said.
Michelin-starred chef facing jail after allegedly serving nearly 50,000 ants to diners https://t.co/JDJxT7dn06 pic.twitter.com/EdNPhT283u
— New York Post (@nypost) July 24, 2026
Allegedly, the restaurant served some 50,000 ants. They were “dried” before being served.
A report at the Chosun Daily said the customers were offered ants as a garnishment as an option, and some chose them, over fermented vinegar or flowers.
Fox reported that the market for edible insects was at $1.73 billion worldwide in 2025, but is expected to be $13.23 billion in 2034.
