Fresh is fresh, raw.  Canned is never fresh.

Read your labels.  I'll bet the preservative chemicals are worse than here.  Here, the Canadian government has publicly questionned the quantity of salt in 'prepared' food, which canned foods are.  People with heart problems find canned items taboo here.

I can't cite chapter in verse on details, but I know those other chemicals can be just as risky to some. 

I can't really say.  I try to avoid food with additional processing, given that I'm on a low salt diet. 

Even from one ranch salad dressing to another, the amount of sodium can vary more than 100 mg per TBL. /15 ml.  What I bought yesterday has 135 mg per TBL/15ml.  I've seen as high as 340 mg. of sodium in dressing.

I did buy the lowest salt content in 796 ml can of tomatoes this week.  That was 240 ml per 1/2 cup/125 ml. I certainly saw as high as 375 for the same.

I've heard about a low salt brand of processed frozen foods, but they were very heavily startches and not much of other veggies.

& the usual thing probably applies.  Like if you have low fat, you have other additives for 'flavour', which do you more harm than the fat.

Have you all been advised that it is easier for the body to absorb and make use of butter than margarine? 

Sorry, Mick, that combo of flavours (& I too have made a sweet beet pickle with onions) just ain't to my taste.

Somewhere between teen years and travel job in my late twenties, I learned something about mustards. As a teenager, mustard on burgers or hot dogs was ok.  After being introduced to central EU ethnicities, my taste says, never ever again for yellow mustard.

I think pickled beets with burgers is the same thing.  Un-acquired taste.

& who the heck said MacDonalds is an essential part of the Aussie eating experience.

'T'ain't like eating in a small town pub, is it?