Consumers have great responsibility in ensuring food safety. The aim was to assess the knowledge of food safety and hygiene of surfaces in household kitchens of the group of pregnant women and the group of consumers in general. A combined methodological approach was used with structured interviews, observation, swabs for microbiological testing and ATP bioluminescence. Consumers have different views on the most critical factors in food preparation and risk perception. Pregnant women are more knowledgeable and handle food more safely than middle-aged consumers. No difference was found in the total bacterial count on kitchen surfaces between the two consumer groups.