It depends on the soup.

Canned concentrated and liquid soup is usually fairly innocuous but has been boiled to buggery in the canning process. Powdered instant soup is made in a similar way and then freeze dried and powdered. Salt ratios are higher in powdered soup (8.6g on my packet of mixed veg) when compared with canned soup (6.6 with my neighbours veg soup), presumably to enhance the flavours lost when freeze drying.

Processed really just means 'worked', so the more things a grain of wheat goes through (washing, grinding, milling, sifting, fine milling, etc), the more goodness and taste it loses.

The general rule is, the more 'convenient' it is, the more it's processed. of course, the exception to this rule is fresh fruit or vegetables.

LTS