ZOOS SA has announced it will reverse its decision to dump Golden North ice cream from its sites after a week of public backlash.

Zoos SA board members last night voted on a decision which will see both Golden North and Streets ice creams sold at Adelaide and Monarto zoos.

It comes exactly one week after Zoos SA announced it was dumping Golden North in favour of multinational brand Unilever - a manufacturer of Streets - which uses controversial palm oil in its ice creams.

Golden North went palm oil free in 2009 specifically as a result of a request from Zoos SA.

An outpouring of support for the Laura-based producer, including rallying from Zoos SA members and politicians, ultimately forced Zoos SA to re-evaluate its decision.

Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted said she would be working with the companies to reach an agreement that allowed both brands to be sold at the zoo.

“(The current agreement) allows us to see Golden North and Streets until June 2015,” she said.

“I will have negotiations with both of them to extend that beyond 2015.”

“I have confidence we will be able to reach a deal.”

Zoos SA’s current agreement with Unilever stipulates the brand will be sold at the two sites for five years until July 2019.

Ms Bensted said Zoos SA - and the board - had listened to mounting pressure from the community in support of SA’s Golden North.

“It’s been really clear to us the strength of community support for local business which has come out over the last week,” she said.

“We have heard feedback from our members and the broader community about the passion for supporting a local South Australian business.”

Ms Bensted said Zoos SA hoped to work with Unilever, who is working towards eliminating palm oil from its products in the future.

“We feel and we still feel that working with a large organisation will help drive a move to sustainable palm oil allows us to have a greater influence – that is what they’re moving towards,” she said.

“It’s within our contracts some of these commitments.”

Palm oil is seen as a controversial ingredient because orang-utan habitats are cleared to farm it, leading to a decline of the species.

Zoos SA’s former chief executive Chris West aligned the Zoo in 2009 with a national campaign to end the use of palm oil and force users to identify it on labelling.

Zoos SA’s first goal in its strategic plan is to “Save species from extinction”.