Some student leaders think they need to crack a few eggs to make a buck for their organization.

That will change with a new policy that restricts student groups to only selling food that has been prepackaged.

There has been a two-month drought of baked goods since groups have been permitted to host bake sales on campus. The current policy, which states that students may “prepare or purchase nonperishable food” that was “individually wrapped in plastic baggies or plastic wrap prior to the sale” did not hold up when a city health inspector made a surprise visit to the student center in October, according to several Northeastern officials.

Chris McGill, director of Student Activities, Leadership and Scholarship, said bake sales were suspended up until last Friday, as school officials worked to come up with a new policy, which was still being finalized late last week.

“Some people don’t think it’s a big deal, but it is a big deal when we’re talking about health codes,” McGill said Friday. Bob Grier, director of operations in the Curry Student Center, echoed McGill’s sentiments and expressed caution in regards to the potential threat of contacting a food-borne illness.

“We have to be very careful,” he said. The Student Organization Handbook, which holds university procedures for student groups, states that “sales of material or solicitations of any kind” are prohibited without written permission from school officials. Bake sales, under the current policy, require a special request form and at least one week notice.

McGill said program advisors from her office made student groups who had filled out their paperwork aware of the temporary suspension and worked with them to come up with other ideas for bringing in cash-flow. “I hope we hit everybody, because they have to turn in fund-raising forms,” McGill said. “If they went on their own to have a bake sale somewhere on campus without the form then that’s another issue we have.”

Krystal Beaulieu, president of the Panhellenic Council, said sororities at Northeastern usually host at least one bake sale each semester, or may offer baked goods in exchange for a donation as part of other charity events.

The new policy “takes away from the whole purpose of having a bake sale,” she said, “because that would mean everyone would have to go out and buy food to sell instead of just throwing something together from what’s in the apartment.”

Beaulieu said the council could bring in about $100 from a bake sale, and added about the policy, “I just hope they don’t try to throw that on barbecues.”

The temporary ban on bake sales, several students said, had effects that rippled as far away as Afghanistan.

Lindsey Seaver, secretary of the College Republicans, said her group hoped to raise money with brownies and cookies to support a platoon overseas.

Seaver said she helped raise about $300 selling baked goods during the course of two days last year; some of the money was used to buy crayons and coloring books for soldiers who were stationed at a children’s hospital in Iraq.

With the temporary ban in place, Seaver said the group had few options for fund-raising, but she remains positive. “The holidays came and went and it just kind of sucked,” she said. “We couldn’t do anything, but somehow we’re still going to raise the money and send them something.”