Lifespan of powdered Gatorade

[Wulf202]

If it's in the can with the mylar lid it should have a theoretical shelf life of 30+ years

If sports drinks are anything like pharma/nutriceuticals, an expiration further out than 2 or 3 years is expensive to prove, so most manf's just go with that. They also have to prove that the product meets its label, not just that is isn't going to kill you or taste bad. Expired multivitamins that haven't grown anything new are usually still fine, they just won't have as much vitamin C, Folic acid, and the other labile contents, as they did when new.

this is the same for canned goods, once the nutrition label is out of spec they expire it, even though it is still food.

Exactly. My buddy has stuff in his anti-biotic stash that's over a decade, and still works like a charm. The only medicine I'm aware of that's actually dangerous past the expiration date, is anything in the tetracycline family.

insulin, most vaccines