Camping

How Swiss Camps Encourage Trying New Foods

By Pierre Martin Updated Published 1 min read

In short

Trying new foods at camp gets easier with communal meals, hands-on cooking, low-pressure tastings & inclusive menus that build confidence.

At a glance
Communal mealsand peer role models ease anxiety and boost willingness to try new foods.
Hands-on cooking workshopsand camper involvement in menu planning build familiarity and ownership.
Small portions, tasting stations, and themed nights offer low-pressure chances to sample.
Visits to local farmsand ingredient-focused activities link food to culture and context.
Inclusive practicesand food education respect dietary needs and strengthen food confidence.
On this page
  1. Encouraging Campers to Try New Foods
  2. Summer camps in Switzerland
  3. Sources

Encouraging Campers to Try New Foods

We’re encouraging campers to try new foods through communal dining, hands-on cooking, and local food experiences. These approaches make unfamiliar dishes feel approachable and socially supported.

Staff Methods

Staff use low-pressure methods to reduce anxiety around tasting. Examples include:

  • Small tasting portions so campers can try without commitment.
  • Themed nights that make sampling fun and contextual.
  • Farm visits that connect ingredients to place and process.
  • Peer role models who demonstrate trying and enjoying new foods.

Education and Inclusion

We pair those methods with food education and inclusive menu planning to normalize tasting while respecting dietary needs and building food confidence.

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Summer camps in Switzerland with Young Explorers Club

Young Explorers Club runs summer camps in Switzerland and Europe for children and teenagers aged 6 to 17, a week at a time, from CHF 1'080 / week.

Three of our camps:

  • Bike Travel Camp — Cycling, Mountain biking · Vaud · Ages 12–17 · From CHF 1'210 / week
  • Family Multi Adventure Camp — Climbing, Hiking, Mountain biking · Champéry · Ages 6+ · From CHF 2'200 / week
  • Senior Adventure Camp — Climbing, Hiking, Mountain biking · Chalet Jolimont · Ages 14–17 · From CHF 1'080 / week

See all our summer camps in Switzerland, with their dates and prices, or get the brochure.

Sources

  1. Appetite — Increasing children’s acceptance of vegetables through repeated exposure pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Pediatrics — Development of eating behaviours among children and adolescents pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. World Health Organization — Healthy diet who.int
  4. Bio Suisse — Facts & figures bio-suisse.ch
  5. Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO/BLV) — Food safety blv.admin.ch
  6. Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG) — Ernährung bag.admin.ch
  7. EUFIC — How to get kids to eat vegetables eufic.org
  8. Physiology & Behavior — Influence of peers and friends on children’s and adolescents’ eating and activity behaviors pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health — A systematic review of the health and well‑being impacts of school gardening ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. FoodCorps — Our work foodcorps.org
  11. Swiss Youth Hostels — Groups & camps youthhostel.ch
Written by

Pierre Martin

Young Explorers Club

Writes the Young Explorers Club's guides for parents.

Our team and safety All articles

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