It really depends on whether I have a choice or not. When certain foodstuffs are scarce, then we tend to compromise for quantity. I also observed that when we get a good bargain, we tend to look for quality. Although in general we would be more interested in the details of the purchases, such as origin of food, reason for such a price, what's special about it, before we compare something with the usual brands or suppliers. I guess we are intuitively after the quality when taste is being discussed. But for large and bulk purchases, we go for quantity first, and then quality.
To me, it depends on what I'm buying. For some stuff, like breads or certain canned foods or even treats like oreo cookies, I don't mind buying the "stock" version as it tastes just as good and is significantly cheaper. In the case of the oreos, for a same size package, it was $2 less for the "Penguin" cookies rather than the Oreos. Same exact cookie, just different brands. For things like meats though, I don't mind at all paying extra for what I want. I just don't do that with everything.
I usually prefer to buy food from malls where you could get almost everything. I totally love the fact that sometimes you also get food at a cheaper price every week. I think it is best if you prefer quality over quantity on any given day.
It depends on the occasion for the week or month. Normally my food shopping is more of a quantity than quality since I am trying to cut costs. I go for the cheaper brands and search for affordable alternatives of a certain product that is expensive. On some occasions, I have visitors come over to my apartment, like my friends and family, so for that week or month, I go for quality since I want to serve the good food. I make it to a point that they enjoy coming over since they are my guests and one way to do this is serve good and quality meals.
I am a fan both. I do not think you should have to settle for one or the other when you can have both. As a matter of fact, when you buy in bulk you end up spending less per unit. That is why I enjoy Costco and Sam's club shopping.
