Do oats go bad?

I thought I had a whole thing of oats in the cupboard for no bakes. I haven't made them in a long time. Well I made the cookies, and then realized the box of oats said "Best By January 2012" So they are a good 7 months past that date. I tasted the cookies anyways, and they taste wonderful. Do oats really go bad? Should I toss them out?

It just says best by. Usually ts fine they're just not going to have their intended Tate and freshness

they can grow fungus, but if they smell fine they should be ok.