Animals at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo are now getting much of their daily bread, literally, along with tofu sediment and several kinds of fish, courtesy of food producers looking for a cheap disposal route for unwanted goods.

The trend started two years ago after a food recycling law came into force, compelling businesses to recycle 20 percent of their food waste by fiscal 2006.

"Bread crust and bean curd lees became a target of such recycling," said an official at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.