Animal crackers: it's nice to feed mother nature.

A growing number of supermarkets are donating their unsaleable perishables to cash-strapped area zoos and aquariums to feed the animals.

In Peoria, Ill., Kroger is donating perishable food items to the Peoria Zoo to offset the cost of feeding zoo animals. The Peoria Zoo was chosen by Kroger as the first of several zoos in its Central Division operating area to receive food under the program. The zoo picks up the produce from area Kroger stores daily, using specialized containers. The program is expected to be extended to other zoos in Indiana and Illinois.

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Back East at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn., the fruits and vegetables some of the creatures are munching on are courtesy of the ShopRite in New London, the result of a unique partnership recently formed between the supermarket and the aquarium.

Each week the aquarium staff receives 50 to 70 pounds of "culled" produce from ShopRite for its resident fish and invertebrates, which live on a diet consisting of primarily fruits and vegetables. The culled produce has begun to change color or is bruised, but is still consumable and has nutritional value. Officials for Mystic Aquarium anticipate a yearly savings of $16,000 a year as a result of the donated produce. For its part, ShopRite reduces its waste stream and saves money in Dumpster transportation fees.

"We view supermarkets, both independents and chains, as ideal partners for the work that we do in education, research and exploration," Peter Glankoff, senior vice president of marketing and public affairs at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, divisions of Sea Research Foundation, tells Grocery Headquarters.

The partnership with ShopRite developed when a Mystic Aquarium official began looking at ways to lower food costs. Steve Perrelli, general manager of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Southeastern New England, who sits on Mystic's board, was asked and put the aquarium in touch with Ken Capano, Jr., vice president of the New London and Norwich ShopRite stores.