Methods and compositions are hereby disclosed for reducing the numbers of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella or other pathogens in an animal. The methods include administering to the animal a lactic acid producing bacterium at a relatively low dosage in combination with a lactate utilizing bacterium, followed by administration of the lactic acid producing bacterium at a relatively high dosage. The disclosed methods help achieve pre-harvest food safety and enhance feed performance while keeping the total cost relatively low. The preferred lactic acid producing bacterium is Lactobacillus acidophilus/animalis and the preferred lactate utilizing bacterium is Propionibacterium freudenreichii.
