More than 200 jobs are to go at Cadbury's main factory at Bournville near Birmingham in a move the company says will safeguard production for the next 25 years.
US owners Mondelez said the reduction would be achieved through voluntary redundancies.
The firm announced a proposed £75 million investment at Bournville a year ago to build four state-of-the-art production lines.
ITV Central Business Correspondent Mark Gough reports that Cadbury will invest £75 million in modernising productions lines at its factory in Birmingham:
The fashion chain said it is now expecting annual pre-tax profits to plummet to between £5 million and £10 million.
"Now is the time to act," one leading scientist told ITV News following the bleak new climate warning.
The Democrats looked glum for a reason - both real and political. They are portraying this as a solemn constitutional duty, nothing more.