A two-Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea is at the center of a controversy over edible ants. The owner of the restaurant is facing hefty fines and up to a year’s jail time for garnishing a sherbet dessert with ants.

South Korea’s Food Laws

The problem isn’t that insects appeared on the menu. Rather, the issue is South Korea’s nuanced food laws, which regulate which insects can go on diners’ plates. According to the government, it wasn’t merely the presence of ants in food that was an issue. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said investigators found the ants from this restaurant contained heavy metal levels up to 55 times the maximum limit allowed for other edible insects.

Prosecutors have asked a court to impose a 20 million won ($13,580) fine on the restaurant, citing a profit of 120 million won ($81,470) over the past four years. The verdict is scheduled to be announced in September.

Edible Insects Trend

Advocates in South Korea and elsewhere have increasingly argued that insects are just as reliable a source of protein as other animal products. Given how easily they are raised and harvested with fewer resources than are needed for more traditional livestock, insects present an effective way to combat climate change.

South Korean cuisine doesn’t frown on insects. Beondegi, for example, is a traditional steamed silkworm pupae snack served by street vendors in paper cups. But under the country’s Food Sanitation Act, only 10 insect species, including grasshoppers and silkworms, are permitted for human consumption. Serving any other insect – like ants – requires special approval from authorities.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.