澳洲籍主厨Joseph Lidgerwood创办的首尔米其林两星餐厅Evett因在甜点上使用黑蚂蚁作装饰而陷入法律纠纷[1]。韩国检察机关指控该餐厅及其CEO违反食品安全法规，在2021年4月至2025年1月间非法进口蚂蚁，约计销售12000份含有蚂蚁装饰的菜肴[1]。根据韩国法律，仅有10种昆虫获批可用于人类消费，包括蝗虫和褐色粉虫幼虫，蚂蚁并未在许可名单内[1]。
餐厅方面辩称蚂蚁系通过正式海关程序进口，且装饰属于可选的小型点缀，仅供事先同意的顾客享用[1]。然而，韩国采用正面清单制度，限制仅获商业批准的食品配料才能在餐饮服务中使用[1]。目前未有报告显示使用该装饰造成任何疾病或伤害[1]。主厨Lidgerwood本人并非被告，不面临控告或监禁风险，诉讼的对象仅为餐厅运营公司及其CEO[1]。韩国法院预计将于9月2日宣判此案[1]。
An Australian-founded fine dining establishment in South Korea is at the centre of a legal dispute over its use of black ants as a dessert decoration. Evett, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant created by Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood, has been prosecuted for allegedly violating food safety regulations by illegally importing ants from Thailand and the United States between April 2021 and January 2025 [1]. According to prosecutors, the restaurant sold approximately 12,000 dishes featuring the ant garnish during this period [1].
South Korean law maintains a positive list system for food-grade insects, permitting only ten species for human consumption, including grasshoppers and brown mealworm larvae, but excluding ants [1]. The restaurant's operators and chief executive officer face charges related to the unauthorized use of the garnish, though chef Lidgerwood himself is not a defendant and faces no legal risk [1]. The restaurant has stated that the ants were imported through formal customs procedures and that the garnish was an optional small decoration offered only to customers who had agreed in advance [1]. No illnesses or injuries have been reported [1]. The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on September 2 [1].