Swedish minister reportedly debilitated by fear of bananas - reports
Paulina Brandberg's intense fear of bananas has led her staff to ensure that every location she visits is free from the fruit. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Swedish Gender Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg has such a severe phobia of bananas that her staff works tirelessly to ensure she never encounters the yellow fruit, according to a report by Swedish newspaper Expressen.
In a 2020 social media post, Brandberg acknowledged having “the world’s weirdest phobia of bananas.” Initially seen as an exaggeration, her admission gained credibility when Expressen published leaked government emails on Wednesday that highlighted the severity of her fear.
Prior to a lunch at the Norwegian Judicial Agency in February, her cabinet secretary reached out to the agency, stating: “Paulina Brandberg has a strong allergy to bananas, so it would be appreciated that there are no bananas in the spaces where she will be staying.”
Later that month, ahead of a meeting with a local authority, Brandberg’s secretary took a more direct approach, informing municipal staff: “no bananas are allowed on the premises either.”
When the speaker of Sweden’s parliament, Andreas Norlen, invited Brandberg for coffee in September, he was also informed about her banana “allergy.”
“Thank you, there will probably be a cake with the coffee and we’ll make sure it doesn’t contain banana,” replied Norlen’s office. “However, we have fruit baskets with bananas in adjacent spaces and passage rooms. Is it enough if we put these away in the morning of the same day?”
“It will be brilliant if you can put them away in the morning of the same day,” was the response from Brandberg’s secretary.
While her secretary refers to it as an allergy, Brandberg told Expressen that “it is something that I get professional help with.” She elaborated, saying, “It’s like a kind of allergy, you could say.”
Medical professionals generally do not classify bananaphobia as a legitimate condition, often including it under the broader category of “certain foods” in the International Classification of Diseases. Nevertheless, anecdotal reports indicate that it is a real, albeit uncommon, phenomenon. A bananaphobia sufferer on the website of the British mental health charity Mind recounted feeling “extremely anxious” upon seeing a banana in real life, describing symptoms such as hyperventilation and petrifying fear. “I know bananas can’t hurt me but for some reason I am full of fear whenever I see or smell them,” she wrote.
Following the release of Expressen’s article, Brandberg’s fellow MP Teresa Carvalho shared her own experience, declaring on X, “I suffer from the same ailment. We may have had many tough debates about conditions in working life, but on this issue we stand united against a common enemy.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
In a 2020 social media post, Brandberg acknowledged having “the world’s weirdest phobia of bananas.” Initially seen as an exaggeration, her admission gained credibility when Expressen published leaked government emails on Wednesday that highlighted the severity of her fear.
Prior to a lunch at the Norwegian Judicial Agency in February, her cabinet secretary reached out to the agency, stating: “Paulina Brandberg has a strong allergy to bananas, so it would be appreciated that there are no bananas in the spaces where she will be staying.”
Later that month, ahead of a meeting with a local authority, Brandberg’s secretary took a more direct approach, informing municipal staff: “no bananas are allowed on the premises either.”
When the speaker of Sweden’s parliament, Andreas Norlen, invited Brandberg for coffee in September, he was also informed about her banana “allergy.”
“Thank you, there will probably be a cake with the coffee and we’ll make sure it doesn’t contain banana,” replied Norlen’s office. “However, we have fruit baskets with bananas in adjacent spaces and passage rooms. Is it enough if we put these away in the morning of the same day?”
“It will be brilliant if you can put them away in the morning of the same day,” was the response from Brandberg’s secretary.
While her secretary refers to it as an allergy, Brandberg told Expressen that “it is something that I get professional help with.” She elaborated, saying, “It’s like a kind of allergy, you could say.”
Medical professionals generally do not classify bananaphobia as a legitimate condition, often including it under the broader category of “certain foods” in the International Classification of Diseases. Nevertheless, anecdotal reports indicate that it is a real, albeit uncommon, phenomenon. A bananaphobia sufferer on the website of the British mental health charity Mind recounted feeling “extremely anxious” upon seeing a banana in real life, describing symptoms such as hyperventilation and petrifying fear. “I know bananas can’t hurt me but for some reason I am full of fear whenever I see or smell them,” she wrote.
Following the release of Expressen’s article, Brandberg’s fellow MP Teresa Carvalho shared her own experience, declaring on X, “I suffer from the same ailment. We may have had many tough debates about conditions in working life, but on this issue we stand united against a common enemy.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
