Why is salt added to prepared foods?

Manufacturers generally add it as a means of improving the flavor of packaged goods. Since a diet-conscious public has turned up their noses at other ways of improving taste (i.e. added fat or sugar), manufacturers have turned to salt, since calorie-conscious consumers tend to breeze by sodium content. Salt's dirt cheap as well, and can be added to practically anything. Sadly though, this means many Americans consume several times the recommended daily allowance of salt, which raises blood pressure and can lead to hypertension and the elevated risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke.