As utilitarianism stresses the greatest good for the greatest number of people, the actions taken by PCA can be further defined as unethical. With the peanut butter industry amounting to a $900 million business, it is clear that a strategy serving the greatest number of people would not focus on the needs of the small, family-owned company that caused this terrible crisis. While in the short-term it may have been saving them money and time doing things the “wrong” way, in the end it would have been much more effective to strategy for the greater good in their initial operations. In this crisis, the benefits did not outweigh the costs. For example, the costs of people’s lives, illnesses, as well as the financial downfall, are not equivalent to the short-term company profit gained by these questionable practices. Furthermore, not only did the recall crisis hurt companies financially, but it also took away the trust that loyal consumers had with particular brands. It is important to recognize how a crisis in a small company can ripple through a huge industry. PCA should have realized the potential negative impact their poor safety strategies could have for many customers and client companies. It would have been sound utilitarian ethics as well as sound business practice.