Restaurant Sells Over 120 Million Won Worth of Dishes Topped with Imported Ants, Despite Ban

Two Types of Dried Ants Imported via International Mail
"Be Sure to Check Whether Ingredients Are Approved for Food Use"

A domestic restaurant was caught by authorities after selling approximately 120 million won worth of dishes made with ants purchased from the United States and Thailand.

On July 10, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it had referred restaurant owner A and the corporation to the prosecution on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act, after they cooked and sold food using ants, which are not permitted as food ingredients.

Photo of the violating product. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety began its investigation after confirming through online posts on blogs and social networking services (SNS) that a particular restaurant was serving dishes topped with ants, an insect, as a culinary ingredient.

According to the investigation, from April 2021 to November last year, A imported two types of dried ant products from the United States and Thailand via international mail (EMS) and other means. For approximately three years and nine months, until January this year, A served dishes at their restaurant with three to five ants added to enhance acidity. The total number of such dishes sold reached about 12,000, with sales amounting to 120 million won.

Violation Act Diagram. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Currently, only ten types of insects, including grasshoppers and mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor), are recognized as edible in South Korea. Ants are not permitted as food ingredients. In order to use ants for food, one must go through procedures such as obtaining temporary standards and specifications approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in accordance with food sanitation regulations.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested the relevant authorities to take administrative measures against the restaurant for not following these procedures. The ministry also emphasized, "Anyone can easily check which ingredients are permitted for use in food on the ministry's website," and especially urged business operators to verify whether an ingredient is approved for food use before purchasing or using it.