Aranjuez Strawberries and Asparagus Gain Quality Seal

The Community of Madrid said on Feb. 4 that it will add Aranjuez strawberries and asparagus, Chinchón’s “ajo fino” garlic and Madrid honey to its system of regional food-quality certifications. The announcement came in an oral report to the regional cabinet on the state of differentiated food brands in the region. Officials said producer associations for all four products have already been formed, allowing the names to be protected while technical specifications are prepared for submission to the European Union. ### Which products are being added, and under what labels? The Feb. 4 government statement said Aranjuez strawberries, Aranjuez asparagus and Chinchón garlic are being prepared as Protected Geographical Indications, or IGP in Spanish. Madrid honey is being prepared as a Protected Designation of Origin, or DOP. Those labels are part of the EU system used to identify foods tied to a specific place and production method. (comunidad.madrid) The regional government said the four products will join an existing group of Madrid food labels that already includes Wines of Madrid, Madrid olive oil, Sierra de Guadarrama beef, Anís de Chinchón and Campo Real olives. In the same statement, officials said the move forms part of a broader policy on “marcas diferenciadas,” or differentiated quality brands, for the region’s farm sector. (comunidad.madrid) ### Why are Aranjuez strawberries and asparagus so closely tied to place? Aranjuez producers describe the local strawberry as a long-established crop from the Tagus river plain, with cultivation documented since the 16th century and promoted under the Bourbon monarchy. The producers’ association says the local strawberry is prized for aroma and sweetness, and that growers have sought protection in response to a decline in cultivation over recent years. (comunidad.madrid) The Aranjuez producers’ site also says asparagus has long been associated with the municipality and with court banquets linked to the royal site. That local identity is also reflected in tourism marketing: Madrid’s official tourism site says the seasonal “Strawberry Train,” which runs between Madrid and Aranjuez, includes tastings of the town’s strawberries and in 2026 is scheduled from March 22 to June 7. ### What has Madrid said about the certification process itself? (fresasdearanjuez.es) The regional government said producer associations for each product are already in place and that the technical rulebooks needed for EU recognition are now being drafted. Those rulebooks typically define the production area, product characteristics and traceability requirements that underpin an IGP or DOP filing. The government did not give a date for submitting the four applications to Brussels in its Feb. 4 statement. (fresasdearanjuez.es) A separate transparency notice published by the regional government said Madrid was also advancing a decree to regulate the operation of supervisory councils and other public-law bodies that manage differentiated food-quality schemes. The notice said the public consultation on that draft decree ran from Feb. 6 to Feb. 26, 2026, and that the measure is intended to update and unify the legal framework for those bodies under Law 7/2024. (comunidad.madrid) ### How large is Madrid’s existing quality-label system? Madrid’s Feb. 4 statement said Wines of Madrid certified more than 35,700 hectoliters in its latest campaign, marketed under 268 brands and recognized with 46 awards. The same statement said the region’s olive-oil DOP exceeded 34,000 liters in its second campaign and the Sierra de Guadarrama beef IGP marketed 1.43 million kilograms in 2024. (comunidad.madrid) The regional government also said its separate “M Producto Certificado” guarantee mark, launched in 2014 for foods made or produced in the region, now includes 505 companies and 4,143 product references. Officials said the regional agri-food cluster has 135 members. ### What happens next for the four products? The next formal step is completion of the technical specifications for Aranjuez strawberries and asparagus, Chinchón garlic and Madrid honey, according to the regional government. (comunidad.madrid) After that, the files would move through the recognition process before the European Union, the government said. The broader regulatory framework is also still moving. Madrid’s transparency portal said the draft decree governing the councils and entities that manage these certifications entered public consultation on Feb. 5, 2026, with submissions accepted from Feb. 6 through Feb. 26. (comunidad.madrid) (comunidad.madrid)