Swedish Minister's phobia sparks 'banana-free' zones on official visits

In an unusual twist of government protocol, Sweden's gender equality minister, Paulina Brandberg, suffers an unusual phobia called bananaphobia and requires special accommodations on official visits to keep her surroundings free from the fruit. According to leaked emails seen by the Swedish news outlet Expressen, staff working for Brandberg have requested the removal of any bananas from rooms and venues where she will be present, citing a "strong allergy" to the fruit. Brandberg's aversion to bananas isn't exactly an allergy, but a specific phobia, which she described as a "sort of allergy" in a response to Expressen. Brandberg had previously admitted to her phobia on X, claiming to have the "world's weirdest phobia of bananas", though the posts have since been deleted.