They have about $1.7 billion in intangible assets on their balance sheet, of which trade secrets are not necessarily delineated but are a significant component.

They have about $1.7 billion in intangible assets on their balance sheet, of which trade secrets are not necessarily delineated but are a significant component. I have no real idea if the fries are a trade secret; that much is pure speculation. But my point was more that I wouldn't be surprised if the fries were a trade secret, as such is the norm for large food companies. You'd be surprised at the level of granularity involved in food company trade secrets. It's not so much about protecting the quality of McDonald's fries; it's about protecting the properties of those fries that permit logistics at McDonalds-level scale: fries that are designed a certain way as to always cook consistently despite freezing, transportation across complex supply lines, inconsistent on-site storage and preparation, etc. It's not a huge stretch to call McD's fries a product of engineering as much as nature. Source: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/sec_filings.html http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/investors/sec_filings.html